Pawlyshyn and Penner Selected for Officials POE

The Saskatchewan Hockey Association’s Referees Division is excited to announce the selection of two officials from our branch who will be attending the Hockey Canada's Officials Program of Excellence Summer Camp.

Selected as a referee was Mick Pawlyshyn of Prince Albert. Pawlyshyn, 29, is a level 3 official who worked his first season as an SJHL referee in 2016-17. Pawlyshyn has also reffed games in the Sask. Midget AAA Hockey League and Prairie Junior Hockey League as well as a handful of provincial finals at the minor hockey level. Pawlyshyn recently committed full time to the Referee Division after winning the Telus Cup with the Prince Albert Minots in 2006. He also played three seasons with the Weyburn Red Wings of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League followed by time at Portage College in the Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference and finally Senior AAA with the Shellbrook Elks as recent as the 2015-16 season.

Selected as a linesmen was 20-year-old Aidan Penner of Saskatoon. Penner is a level 3 official as well, who has officiated for eight seasons. As a linesman Penner regularly works the SJHL and PJHL and refs bantam, midget and senior. He was named the PJHL Jason Mercer Memorial Linesman of the Year recipient this past season and worked the Western Canadian Bantam Championship in Warman this season as a referee. Penner has also worked as a linesman in the Telus Cup Western Regional in 2016, Western Canada U19 Challenge Cup in 2015 and the Saskatchewan Winter Games in 2014.

The Officials Program of Excellence format has changed from the past season, instead of 45 officials attending three regional OPOE Camps, there will be one centralized camp featuring 18 officials in conjunction with the Under-17 player selection camp in Calgary. The camp will run July 25-29th.